


A New Hope:Through Her Eyes

by soulmetalfairy



Series: Through her eyes [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Force Sensitivity, Force-Sensitive Original Character(s), Gen, Major Original Character(s), Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Death, References to Depression, Selectively Mute Character, The Author Regrets Nothing, injured original character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22202107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: Arya Dornin was only five years old when she lost her family to the sand people. She was fifteen when two droids walked into her life, and when her life was turned upside down a second time. The adopted child learns first hand that there is more to life, and more to her brother, then she ever thought possible.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Through her eyes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598173
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea to write this while working on another fic that my sister demanded I write for her because she did not like the ending to episode 9. There is not much really to the OC that I'm introducing. Most of her backstory will be in this first chapter, so hopefully it will be enough to explain for the rest of the story. I really hope that you guys like this story, and if you do then let me know. This is my first time posting a star wars fic to this sight.

The twin suns were high above her, glowing brightly with unbearable heat as she slowly traveled across the hot sands of Tatooine. Her head was burning, short black hair absorbing the heat the suns sent down upon her. Her light colored dress and jacket were stained crimson, a sign of the attack that has taken place at her home. 

Her gaze turned to look back the direction she had come from. Smoke was still rising in the air from where her house once stood. The sand people had made sure that nothing was left, not even realizing that she had managed to get away before her mother died. She could still see her mothers lifeless eyes, her final words echoing in her mind. 

_Run Arya!_

So she ran. She ran as fast as her small legs would take her, searching for a place that she would be safe. There were other people that lived close to her home, but she did not have a speeder. It took nearly fifteen minutes to get to the nearest house with one. Without a speeder she was not sure how long it would take her to reach the nearest house. 

She felt her toe strike something hidden in the sand. Before she could stop herself she was landing flat on the ground, her face hitting the hot sand. The heat stung at the cut above her eye, granules of sand sticking to her face and into the wound itself. Tears stung at her eyes as she sniffled loudly. 

She was all alone. 

She just wanted her parents to come back and take her home. 

'' Mama.... Papa.'' she whispered, holding back her tears as she tried to get back to her feet. 

As she did this she heard something nearby. 

Was it those scary things that attacked her home? Where they back to take her away?

'' Please no.'' She begged, hiding her face as the noise grew closer. It sounded like a machine of some sorts. She just stayed where she was. Maybe if she did not move then they would leave her be thinking that she was dead. 

However, what ever that was, it did not leave. It only came closer. 

Eventually she head the strange sound come to a stop. 

She looked up with surprised eyes to find an orange colored speeder hovering close to her. There was someone sitting at the wheel of the speeder, watching her with worry. 

'' Why did we stop Uncle Owen?'' She heard a voice call out. It sounded like a child to her, maybe a few years older then she was. 

'' Stay here Luke.'' The man said, and she watched as he got out of the speeder to approach her. 

She gingerly stood, sniffing as she tried to hold back her tears. The man reminded her of her father, though he was older then him. He was alive and well, and her father was not. 

'' Are you lost?'' The man asked, kneeling down before her. '' What's your name?'' he asked. 

'' Arya.'' She whispered. Her gaze turned back in the direction she had come from. There was still smoke rising in the distance from where her house had once been. 

'' Where's your home Arya? You shouldn't be out here all by yourself.'' He stated. 

Arya's eyes welled up with tears at his words. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried not to cry. Her eyes lowered to gaze at her soiled dress, her tangled braids sliding over her shoulders. 

'' Did something happen to your parents?'' The man asked. 

Her tears began to flow as a broken sob escaped her throat. 

Her family was gone. 

They were never coming back. 

'' Uncle Owen!'' 

Arya heard footsteps approaching as the man turned to face the child who had exited the speeder. 

'' I told you to stay put Luke.'' Owen chidded. Arya looked up to find the boy, whom she now knew was named Luke, staring at her. 

'' Is she hurt?'' Luke asked, clearly having seen the blood on her dress. 

'' Something must have happened at her home.'' Owen mumbled. 

Arya felt the older man wrap his arms around her, lifting her up into the air. She clung onto his tunic, burying her tear stained face into the rough material it was made of. 

'' We're heading back to the house.'' Owen stated. 

'' Is she coming with us?'' Luke asked. 

'' Yes, and you're going to stay at the house with her while I go and see what happened.'' Owen explained. '' Now get back in the speeder.'' He explained. 

Arya did not dare to look up to see her surroundings for the longest time. She felt the hot wind against her neck as the speeder ran across the desert. It was not a long ride, but eventually the speeder came to a halt. When it did Arya finally lifted her gaze to see the small home that spread out before her. 

There was movement from the doorway before a woman looking around the same age as the man appeared with a worried look.

'' You're back early. Did something happen?'' The woman asked. 

'' Aunt Beru, we found a little girl out there.'' Luke cried out as he rushed to the womans side. The man holding Arya was quick to follow. 

'' What are you talking about?'' The woman asked. her gaze lifted from Luke to find Arya in Owens arms. A look of horror passed her face at the sight. 

'' Keep an eye on her.'' Owen stated. '' I think the sand people attacked her family. I'm going there to check out what happened.'' He stated. 

'' Be careful out there.'' The woman stated with a worried gaze. The man nodded, and then left with a blaster, the speeder disappearing on the horizon. 

Arya curled closer to the woman, hiding her eyes. 

She already knew what they were going to find. Her family was gone, and she had nothing left for her here. She would be sent off somewhere, probably sold off to Jabba like many children were when they are abandoned. 

'' Why don't we go inside.'' The woman suggested. '' I can get you something to eat.'' She stated. 

Arya did not know how to respond, so all she did was nod her head as the woman carried her down the stairs. It was a little cooler in here then it was outside. She was set down on one of the chairs at the table. Something warm was wrapped around her shoulders, which she realized was a thread bare blanket. 

'' I thought you might want it.'' 

Arya looked over to find Luke standing beside her, a soft smile on his face. She returned it with a small nod of her head. 

The two children sat together at the kitchen table, waiting patiently for any word from Owen while Beru finished fixing up breakfast for the two of them. Arya did not eat much of it, her appetite nonexistent because of what had happened that morning. 

It was hours later when Owen finally returned to the house, a grim look on his face. 

'' What happened?'' Beru asked, rushing to his side when he stepped into the kitchen. 

'' They're dead. Both of her parents are gone.'' Owen stated. '' I found the house smoldering from a fire, their bodies were inside. I couldn't tell just how they died though.'' He explained. 

'' That's horrible.'' Beru whispered. '' What should we do? We can't just hand her over to an orphanage. She'll be sold off like a slave for sure.'' She stated. 

'' I don't know.'' Owen stated. '' Where is she?'' He asked. 

'' she's went with Luke to play in his room.'' Beru explained. Owen nodded, and then turned to walk towards the boys room. Beru followed him, wanting to see what he was going to say to her. 

When the two stepped inside the room they found the two children sitting on the small bed with little army men and toy ships strewn all over the place. Luke was moving all over the place as they played, while Arya sat there laughing as she went along with what he was doing. However, the two fell silent and still once they saw the two adults in the room. 

'' What's going on?'' Luke asked. '' Did you find her parents?'' 

'' Arya's family is gone.'' Owen stated. 

'' What!?'' Like asked in shock. 

'' Mama.... Papa.'' Arya's eyes brimmed with tears. 

'' What's going to happen to her?'' Luke asked. '' She can't go home without her parents.'' He stated. 

'' We'll work that out tomorrow.'' Owen stated. '' For now she's going to stay here with us.'' He said. 

'' She can share a room with me.'' Luke stated, resting a hand on Arya's shoulder. '' She's almost like a little sister to me.'' 

'' That should be fine.'' Beru stated with a small laugh. 

The two adults left the room soon after to allow the two children to continue playing. Once they were out of ear shot Beru turned to face Owen. 

'' We can't let her go to an orphanage.'' Beru stated. '' She'd be safer just staying here with us.'' 

'' It's an extra mouth to feed.'' Owen mumbled. '' But...... I understand the danger she'd be in if we let her go there..... We'll take her in.'' He stated. 

'' She'll be safe here.'' Beru stated. '' I'm sure of it.'' 

The sound of the kids laughter filtered through the air as the two turned to continue with the days work. 

\---

It had been ten years since that day. 

Arya Dornin had lost her entire family at the small age of five. Owen Lars, the man who had found her in the desert, was quick to take the young girl in upon discovering that her family was gone. She was given a new family, new parents, and a brother that she had never had before. 

Loosing her family had taken a tole on her life. She rarely ever spoke to anyone. She only ever spoke with Luke, but even then it was rare for her to say a thing. 

Today was no different. 

The suns were high above in the sky, the heat intense as she stepped outside to find the Jawa's vehicle approaching the house. Owen was already standing outside the house, eyes watching as the Jawa's moved to pull out their working catch for him to buy some new droids. 

'' Doesn't look like there's much to chose from this time.'' 

Arya turned her gaze to the left to find Luke standing there. He stood a head taller then she was. 

'' Think we'll finally get a droid to help Uncle Owen with the vaporators to take your place? I'm sure that aunt Beru would like that so you can help around the house.'' Luke stated. 

Arya shrugged her shoulders, brushing her bangs out of her face as she walked forward to see what they had to choose from. There appeared to be a few R2 units, some looking worse for wear. There was a strange droid that she had never seen before, appearing to have multiple arm extensions. She was not sure how that could be helpful for them, so she moved on to see the rest. She found a golden droid standing taller then she was. It appeared to be a protocol droid of sorts. She had only seen them on a few occasions when accompanying Owen to Ancorhead. 

'' Hello there, I am C3PO, human cyborg relations.'' The droid spoke. 

Arya jumped at the sound of the droids voice. She nearly ran into Owen when he stepped up to ask the droid some questions. She moved to stand behind him, turning her gaze to find Luke looking over the R2 units. 

'' Alright, I'll take this one.'' She heard Owen say as he pointed to the protocol droid. The Jawa's mumbled something to him as he handed over the money, stating that he wanted the orange and white R2 unit as well. Arya began to follow Owen back to the house, ready to get out of the sun for a few minutes. It was days like this that she wished she had been born with blonde hair. 

Arya was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a loud bang from behind her. She spun around to find smoke rising from the R2 unit that Owen had picked out. Luke was examining it. 

'' Uncle Owen, this R2 unit has a bad Motivator in it.'' Luke stated. 

'' What are you trying to push on me?'' Owen demanded from the Jawa's, who were scrambling to figure out a compromise. Arya's eyes flitted over to the droids that remained, noting the small blue and white one that was beeping rather loudly at them. He was bouncing back and forth as if begging to be chosen. 

'' Excuse me sir, but may I suggest taking that R2 unit there. He is quite capable of giving you aid.'' C3PO stated. 

'' Alright.'' Owen stated as the Jawa's rushed to get the R2 unit moving. '' Luke, take the droids and get them cleaned up. Give him a hand with that Arya.'' he explained. Arya nodded to him before moving to follow Luke into the house. 

She took a quick glance to the droids they had chosen from this run. There was just something about them..... She could not quite put her finger on it. The two of them just seemed so out of place on this sand planet. 

There was more to these two droids. She could feel it. 

C3PO caught her watching them, and turned to face her. 

'' Is there a problem? Did I upset you?'' The droid asked. 

Arya turned her gaze away, not wanting to answer that. She heard the R2 unit beep a few times to the golden protocol droid. 

'' I never meant to upset her R2.'' The droid spoke. 

Arya only shook her head with a soft smile. She was not upset, but he would not be able to understand why she did not speak to him. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do want to make a note here that I do not know the scripts from these movies by heart. I'm doing my best by using the novelization I own as well as my own memory of the movies. Just know that if there are any mistakes that I did the best I could to make it the same as the movie save for a few changes here and there because of my characters addition.

Arya sat on the edge of her seat, watching as Luke placed C3PO in the bath to wash off his golden exterior. Her eyes drifted towards the R2 unit sitting beside the bath. The droid would beep every few seconds, but that was about it. 

'' You've got a lot of carbon scoring on you. Looks like you two have seen some action.'' Luke commented as C3PO began to lower into the bath. 

'' I guess you could say that.'' C3PO stated, only his head visible now as the bath did its thing. '' R2 and myself were around during the years of the clone wars, seeing most of the action.'' 

'' You fought in the Clone Wars?'' Luke shot up, turning to face the droid with a twinkle in his eyes. Arya giggled at the sudden giddiness. It was not easy to get Luke this excited about something given where they lived. 

'' we did not see that much action personally, but we were there.'' C3PO explained. Luke seemed to deflate soon after this, taking a seat nearby as C3PO began to lift out of the bath. Arya stood from where she was to help him free. 

'' Thank you, but I don't believe I have learned your name.'' C3PO explained. 

Arya looked over to Luke with nervous eyes, unsure of what she should do. 

'' My names Luke.'' He explained. 

'' And yours?'' C3PO asked. 

Arya stepped away, her cheeks flushing bright red with embarrassment. She looked up to Luke for help, not wanting to tell the droids why it was she did not want to speak. 

'' Her names Arya.'' Luke explained. '' She doesn't talk that much, so you'll have to forgive her.'' He said. 

Arya shot a thankful look towards Luke. The two droids did not need to know what had happened to her to make her not want to talk. 

'' Of course sir, I will respect her wishes.'' C3PO explained. 

'' You can just call me Luke.'' He assured as he bent down to take a look at R2. Arya moved to kneel beside him to help, reaching for one of the tools resting nearby to scrub off what looked like some scorch marking. She figured it was from where the Jawa's had caught the droid wandering the desert the day prior. 

'' So who were your last owners?'' Luke asked. 

'' we were under Captain Antilles, but we were loaned to someone else for a short time. That's how we ended up here.'' C3PO explained. 

'' I see.'' Luke whispered, eyeing something that Arya could not see. He took a pair of pliers, and began to grab at something that appeared to be shoved into the droid. '' You've got something shoved up in there. Maybe I can-'' 

Arya was caught off guard when she saw a flash come from the droid. Luke fell back, having lost the grip he had on the thing shoved inside of the R2 unit. The flash soon took shape, and a young lady dressed all in white appeared before them as a hologram. The woman appeared to be just a few years older then she was, having a hood pulled over her head so only her face was visible. 

_Help me Obi-wan Kenobi, you're my only hope._

Arya looked over to Luke with surprise. 

Who was this woman?

'' Who is that?'' Luke asked. 

'' That is the princess we were accompanying before we found ourselves here.'' C3PO explained. 

'' She's a princess?'' Luke asked in surprise. 

Arya and Luke watched the hologram as it continued to repeat the same phrase over and over again. Arya could not help but wonder who it was she was asking for help. She was sure she had heard that name before, but she could not quite place it. 

'' I wonder if she's talking about old Ben?'' Luke mumbled, a puzzled look crossing his face. '' But he's just an old hermit.'' 

of course. That was where she had heard the name. It was the old hermit who lived way out in the Jundlands, away from almost everyone who lived on this planet. She had only seen him once in her life, when he had appeared out of seemingly nowhere to stop the sand people from attacking their home. She never understood how he managed to do this. 

Was he hiding a secret?

'' She sounds like she's in trouble. Is there anyway that you can play back the whole message?'' Luke asked. 

R2 beeped a few times. 

'' He says that if you remove the restraining bolt that he should be able to replay the message in full.'' C3PO explained. 

Arya was quick to reach for one of the tools to do so. However, Luke managed to get ahold of it before her. She pouted at him in annoyance, but instead watched as he removed the bolt. The small item popped off effortlessly, and when it did Arya turned to see the hologram. 

The woman had disappeared completely. 

Where had she gone?

'' Hey what did you do, bring her back.'' Luke stated to the droid. Arya shot to her feet, angered by what had happened. 

R2 beeped a few times, his head swiveling. 

'' Message, what message? R2-D2, you know what he is talking about.'' C3PO stated in a rather rude remark. This surprised Arya slightly, but then again the golden droid was quite smart, and he was more honest then he should be. 

Arya knelt down beside the droid, reaching for the pliers once more. Maybe she could get the data card or what ever that thing was free so she and Luke could get a good look at the full message. Arya moved closer to R3 to try and get at the thing, but before she could he wheeled back from her. Arya huffed in frustration, brushing her hair back from her face. 

'' R2 they are your masters now, you have to listen to them.'' C3po stated. 

Arya saw Luke move towards her, ready to grab the pliers off of her. However, there was a shout from somewhere else in the house. 

'' Luke, Arya, dinner's ready!'' 

Luke sighed in defeat. Arya noted the way that he seemed to glare at the R2 unit before walking out of the room. Arya was quick to follow him, looking for any kind of an escape at this point. 

However, both of them had forgotten to put the restraining bolt back on him. 

\---

Arya still sat at the table long after Luke had stormed off when he got upset with Owen stating that he needed him to hang around for another season on the farm. She knew how much Luke wanted to get out of here. She wanted the same thing herself. She did not know where she wanted to go yet, but she knew anywhere but this planet would be just fine. 

'' He can't stay here forever. He's got to much of his father in him.'' Beru stated. 

'' I know, that's what worries me.'' Owen stated. 

Arya shot a puzzled look towards Owen at his words. She had never heard him mention Luke's father before. She knew that Luke had been brought here as a baby from Beru's stories, so he had never met his father. 

Arya turned towards Beru, sending her a puzzled look as if asking about what Owen meant. 

'' We both met Luke's father a few years before he was born. Something happened to him when Luke was born, that's all that we know.'' Beru stated. 

Arya noticed the way she seemed to hold back. She was hiding something for sure, but she could not tell exactly what it was. 

'' Why don't you go check up on Luke.'' Owen said. 

Arya wanted to question them more, but she also wanted to make sure that Luke was ok. She slowly stood from the table, and moved off towards the main room where they had left the droids before dinner. 

When she stepped inside she found Luke talking with C3PO about something. He appeared rather upset about something, maybe even angry. 

Arya stepped up beside him, grabbing his arm with a puzzled look. 

'' What happened?'' She whispered so that only he could hear. 

'' R2 ran off while we were out.'' Luke stated. 

Arya's eyes went wide in shock. 

Owen was going to kill them if he found out about this. 

'' Maybe he did not get to far, let's go check outside before the suns drop.'' Luke stated as he rushed for the door, grabbing a pair of binoculars off the wall as he ran by. Arya followed him close behind, C3PO not far behind either. once above ground the two teens looked around, searching for any signs of where the R2 unit had gone off to. 

'' Can you see anything?'' Luke asked, turning to face Arya. 

Arya shook her head no. There was no sign of where the droid had run off to. 

'' Luke! It's time to come inside, we're going to shut off the power!'' They heard Beru call out from the house. 

'' We'll be right there.'' Luke stated. He sighed in frustration. '' Uncle Owens going to kill us.'' he whispered. '' We'll have to try and find him in the morning.'' He stated. 

Arya nodded in agreement as the two turned to return to the house. 

\---

Luke had left with C3PO to try and find R2 a few hours ago. She had stayed behind to try and stall for him in case Owen started to ask questions about where the droids were. 

She just hoped he would be able to find them in time, or they were going to be in a lot of trouble. 

Arya was deep inside the house at the moment, helping Beru with the laundry. She was folding the clothes while Beru took care of the actual washing itself. She had become used to this routine since they took her in. She used to help her mother the same way before the sand people took them away from her. It was sort of calming to her, now that she thought about it. 

'' I wonder what's taking Luke so long to get back with the droids.'' She heard Beru mumble to no one in particular. Arya only shook her head with no other response. She knew why he was gone, but she was not talking. 

There was silence again for awhile, but then it was broken by a loud shout from outside the house. Arya's gaze shot up to look up the stairs. That had sounded like Owen. 

'' You stay here, I'll go check it out.'' Beru stated, setting down the sheets in her hands to walk up the stairs. 

Arya's curiosity got the best of her as she set down the tunic in her grasp to follow them. She made it about halfway up the stairs before she heard what sounded like blaster fire, followed by a shrill scream. Arya ran the rest of the way up the stairs, and nearly screamed herself. 

Owen was laying face down on the sand, his clothing on fire that ate away at his body. 

Arya watched in horror as he was shot once again with a blaster bolt. Her eyes lifted to find a group of figures standing close to the house. 

It was a squadron of storm troopers. 

Her eyes flew over to where Beru was standing, hands cupping her mouth in horror. 

'' Fire.'' She heard one of the storm troopers call out. 

Arya saw Beru turn to run towards the stairs, her eyes screaming for her to run away. It was the last thing she did before her body lit up with blaster fire, her clothing igniting after the first few. 

Arya could not hold back her scream of horror as she ran back down the stairs, rushing to find a place to hide. 

'' The droids aren't here, Bring this place down.'' One trooper stated. 

Arya looked back to find something getting thrown down the stairwell. 

It was a thermal detonator.

Arya had just enough time to duck under a table before the thing went off. She was sent flying, the table landing on top of her. The air was knocked from her lungs as smoke filled the room. She coughed violently against it as she moved to try to stand. There was a sharp pang in her shoulder, her clothing feeling sticky in that area. She stumbled to her feet, slowly searching for the door. She could not see a thing around her. Everything was dark, and she was suffocating. 

Oh god, Luke was still out there somewhere. 

Were they going to go after him next?

Arya finally managed to find the staircase, and climbed up as quickly as she could. 

Once she reached fresh air again she fell to her knees coughing violently. Her eyes stung as smoke continued to billow up from what remained of the house. She took only a few seconds to take in fresh air, and then stood to run further from the house. She did not go far, stopping to look back and see what had become of her second home. 

The house burned, and laying just outside the door was the bodies of Owen and Beru. 

Arya sobbed, screaming as loud as her burning throat would. She fell to her knees, hugging herself as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. 

Her family was gone a second time. 

They were needlessly taken from her.

Flashes of her parents attack flashed through her mind as she shut her eyes, rocking back and forth on the hot sand. 

She prayed that the storm troopers would not find Luke. 

That is, if they had not found him already.


	3. Chapter 3

Arya was not sure how long she was just sitting there for. She watched as the house burned on the inside, black smoke filling the air. 

It was just like before, when the sand people had destroyed her life at the young age of five. 

her family was taken from her a second time, and there was nothing she could do to bring them back, either for herself or for Luke. 

Eventually Arya heard something approaching the house. 

She had flashbacks to the day that Owen and Luke had found her in the desert ten years ago. It was the same speeder coming towards her, but this time there was only one person in it. Her brother had come back for her despite the danger he must have seen while on his way. 

He did not even know what had happened yet. 

Arya looked up to see the speeder approaching her. Her eyes were lifeless, tears still streaming as she watched the speeder come to a stop. She saw Luke quickly jump out of the speeder, running to her side. There was a panicked look to his eyes, which frightened her. 

'' Arya, are you alright?'' Luke asked, quickly kneeling beside her. he grabbed her by the shoulders to pull her close. The second he did this he noticed something that Arya had not. '' You're bleeding. What happened?'' He asked. Arya hissed as she felt his hand slide across the gash to her shoulder blade. She saw Luke's hand move, noting that there was blood on his fingers. 

Arya hugged Luke back, fresh tears making new tracks on her face. 

'' They're gone.'' Arya whispered. 

'' What are you talking about?'' Luke asked. 

'' They're gone.'' Arya repeated. '' Gone, they killed them.'' She pulled away from Luke, and pointed to the house. Arya watched as Luke stood to approach the house. 

'' Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!?'' 

Arya watched as he caught sight of the burned bodies. She watched as horror and grief passed his features, and then he fell to his knees with a scream. His scream echoed in her ears as fresh tears began to fall. 

They had both lost everything they had. 

Arya slowly stood on numb feet, and stumbled towards where Luke was still kneeling, watching the smoke rise from inside the house. She fell beside him, leaning against his shoulder as a broken sob escaped her throat. 

They had nowhere else to go. 

She felt Luke's arm wrap around her shoulders, holding her close. 

'' What will we do now?'' Arya asked so softly that she did not know if Luke had heard her. 

'' I'm going to bury them.'' Luke stated. '' I can't just leave them here like this.'' 

'' Then what?'' Arya asked. 

'' I'll take you with me, and we're both getting out of here.'' Luke stated. '' I won't leave you here alone...... You're the only family I have left now.'' He whispered as he pulled her closer for a tight hug. Arya did not fight it, hugging him back just as tight. Tears continued to flow from her eyes as she felt a damp spot form on her tunic from Luke's own tears. 

The smoke was still rising by the time that they finished the deed. By then Luke had helped to bind Arya's wound. Thankfully it would not require stitches, but she would have to be careful so it would not rip open again. The two teens stood over where they had buried Owen and Beru. Luke had taken a chunk of metal from one of the damaged pieces of equipment outside the house, and used it as a marker for both their graves. It was hard to read the names on the metal, but it was enough to make them feel a little better. 

'' We better go.'' Luke whispered. '' I'm sure Ben's worried about us.'' He stated. Arya nodded, following Luke back towards where he left the speeder. She took one last look at the house, noting where they had buried the two. 

It was the last time she would see this house. 

Where was she going to go now?

\---

The speeder came to a stop after about a ten minute ride. When it stopped Luke was the first to jump out. Arya followed, taking notice of the scene before her. 

It was the Jawa's she had just seen the day before. They were all dead, and Ben had been helping the droids to give them a proper send off. A single tear slipped past her eyes at the sight. They must have been attacked shortly before or after those storm troopers came to the house. 

They were needlessly killed, but why?

'' I'm sorry Luke.'' 

Arya turned her attention towards the old man that Luke was standing in front of. He was dressed in brown robes, a belt attached at his waist with what looked like the hilt of some sword maybe hanging off of it.

'' There was nothing you could have done for them.'' Ben said, resting a hand on Lukes shoulder. Arya moved to stand beside her brother, wrapping a protective arm around his trembling shoulders. The old man, whom she recognized to be old Ben, looked to her in surprise. 

'' How did you manage to survive?'' Ben whispered in shock. 

'' Inside.'' Arya whispered. 

Ben gave her a sceptical look. 

'' Storm troopers are rather thorough in their work. They would not have just let you live like this unless they had a reason, or if something else did.'' Ben whispered. 

'' We're going with you.'' Luke stated. '' I want to train to become a Jedi like my father.'' 

'' Then we have no time to lose.'' Ben stated. '' We must be going then if we are to find transport to return these droids to the princess.'' He explained. 

Arya shot a confused look towards Luke. 

'' I'll explain everything on the way.'' Luke stated. '' Right now we have to go before those storm troopers find out we're here.'' 

Arya nodded as she moved towards the speeder. 

\---

Their destination was a place that Arya had never been in her entire life. 

Mos Eisley. 

She had heard stories about this place when she was younger. This space port was riddled with crime and murderers. The Hutts had a strong hold on a lot of what came through the port, which was why she had never visited this place. 

There were people all over the place, moving around doing their everyday tasks. One man appeared to be hustling another about buying some strange looking weapon. Was that thing supposed to be a blaster?

Arya was pulled from watching the sight as the speeder came to a sudden stop. She looked over to where Luke was seated, and then caught sight of shining white uniforms. 

It was a pair of storm troopers. 

Arya's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the two. She could still see the troopers who had killed Owen and Beru only a few hours ago. She wanted to cower away and hide from them, but she had nowhere to go. 

Ben must have noticed her unease. She felt his hand rest on top of her own trembling one, and then her mind was at ease. She could not even remember what she had been afraid of. 

'' How long have you had these droids?'' One of the storm troopers questioned. 

'' About two or three seasons.'' Luke answered. 

'' They are for sale if you would like to buy them.'' Ben added, for which he got an incredulous look from both Luke and Arya. 

'' I need to see your papers.'' The second storm trooper stated. 

'' You don't need to see his papers.'' Ben stated with a small wave of his hand. 

There was a moment of silence from the troopers. 

'' We don't need to see his papers.'' The storm trooper repeated back. 

'' These are not the droids you are looking for.'' Ben stated with another wave of his hand. 

'' These are not the droids we are looking for.'' The storm trooper repeated. 

'' Move along.'' Ben stated, finally looking away from the troopers. 

'' Move along.'' The storm troopers stated, waving for them to continue on. 

The engine revved under them, and once again the speeder was off heading down the street. 

Arya looked towards Ben with confusion in her eyes. 

How had he done that?

The speeder came to a stop outside of a small cantina that was crawling with smugglers and other criminals. 

'' How did we manage to get past them. I thought we were dead.'' Luke stated, looking to Ben for an explanation. 

'' The Force can have a strong affect on those who are weak minded. A small suggestion is all it takes.'' Ben explained. 

Arya wondered if that was what he had done to help her calm down before as well. It would explain why it worked so well if that were the case. 

'' Do you really think we will find someone who can take us where we need to go here?'' Luke asked. 

'' The smugglers here will do just about anything for the right money.'' Ben stated. '' Let's just hope that they will listen to what we have to say.'' 

Arya was doubtful that would work, but she was not going to question it any. She instead followed Ben and Luke into the building, stepping out of the hot suns. There was soft music playing over the banter in the establishment. There was not very much light either, and it took Arya's eyes a few minutes to adjust. 

'' Hey, we don't serve their kind here!'' The bar tender yelled. 

Arya glanced behind her to see that R2 and C3PO had followed them inside. 

'' Go wait by the speeder.'' Luke told them. '' We shouldn't be long.'' He stated. 

'' Of course.'' C3PO stated, already turning to leave. 

'' You should probably stay with them Arya.'' Luke added. '' Just in case.'' 

Arya immediately shook her head no. 

She had seen the storm troopers kill Owen and Beru already. She would not see them kill Luke without her at least trying to save him. She was not leaving his side until they were safe in orbit. 

Arya was technically too young to be in the bar with them, but she looked much older then she really was. She was only a little shorter then Luke, and with her hood pulled over her head it helped to hide her characteristics that screamed her true age. She took a seat beside Luke at the bar, watching as her brother ordered a drink from the bartender. The two just sat there, watching as Ben talked around with some of the smugglers in the cantina. He was speaking with a rather tall Wookie at the moment, which surprised the two. 

Then Arya noticed someone step up beside Luke. He began to pat at Luke's shoulder to get his attention, which he eventually got. 

'' My friend here doesn't like you.'' The man stated. 

Arya noted the way that his face looked more like that of an animals. In fact, he looked a little familiar. Maybe she had seen a photo of him on the holonet or something like that. 

'' I'm sorry about that.'' Luke stated, wanting to escape the mans gaze. He turned to strike up some sort of conversation with Arya, but before he could the man grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around to face him again. Arya spun to face Luke, afraid that the man was going to hurt him. 

'' I don't like you.'' He stated, his face filled with hate. '' I have the death warrant in over 12 star systems.'' He stated. 

'' I'll go then.'' Luke stated as he moved to get off the stool he was seated on. Arya jumped down from her spot, standing alongside Luke. She reached out to grab his hand, afraid about what this man was going to do.

'' You'll be dead!'' The man seathed. 

Luke moved as if to run, but the man acted first, He shoved Luke hard enough to send him across the room, crashing into a table. Arya cried out in surprise, moving to rush to his side, but the man grabbed her by the arm. He spun her around to face him, his eyes searching her young features. She saw lust in his eyes, and it made her sick to her stomach.

'' You have a girly friend with you. How pretty.'' He whispered, pulling down her hood. '' Maybe I can have a little bit of fun with her since you can't show her a good time.'' He stated, gripping her chin as if to try and kiss her. 

That was a bad decision.

Arya punched him dead in the face, and he relinquished his grip on her chin and arm. Arya rushed to Luke's side, helping him back to his feat. As she did this she heard the man shout as if to come after them again. 

Then he shouted in agony. 

Arya and Luke looked up in time to see Ben ignite his lightsaber, and with a quick slash the man's arm was on the floor, the blaster he had been holding still in the severed appendage. 

Ben disengaged the light saber, and moved towards where Arya and Luke were at. 

'' Are you both alright?'' Ben asked them. 

'' Yeah.'' Luke stated. '' Thanks for that.'' He said. 

Arya nodded her thanks, a small smile on her lips. 

'' I found someone who should be able to help us. Follow me.'' Ben stated, leading the two teens towards the corner of the cantina. 


	4. Chapter 4

'' Han Solo, I'm the captain of the Millennium Falcon.'' 

Arya could barely believe what she was looking at. 

The man was rather cocky looking, his stance screaming that he was full of himself. It turned out that the Wookie that Ben had been speaking with earlier was with him, serving as his first officers on board or something like that. 

How on earth would they be able to help them. No doubt they would ask for a high price that she knew they could not cover. Luke did not have any money on him, and neither did she. Maybe Ben had some on himself, but she doubted that he had enough. 

'' Chewie here tells me you need passage to the Alderaan system.'' He said as Ben took a seat at the table. 

Arya cast a weary look towards Luke, who returned it. They both were doubtful about this. 

'' Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship that is.'' Ben insisted. 

'' Fast ship?'' Han scoffed. '' You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?'' he asked. 

'' Should I have?'' Ben asked. 

'' I've outrun Imperial Starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?'' Han asked. 

'' Only passengers. Myself, the two of them, two droids, and no questions asked.'' Ben explained. 

Arya watched as a confused look morphed into a troubled smile. Han did not believe them one bit. 

'' What is it? Some kind of local trouble?'' Han asked. 

'' Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements.'' Ben stated. 

Arya could not argue that. She had already had enough to do with Imperial troops for one day. 

'' Well, tat's the trick, isn't it? And it's going to cost you something extra. Ten thousand in advance.'' Han stated. 

Arya coughed in surprise. 

'' Ten thousand? We could almost buy our own ship for that!'' Luke stated. 

'' But who's going to fly it, kid. You?'' Han questioned with a skeptical look towards him. Arya rolled her eyes at the action. This pilot was truly full of it just like she thought. 

'' You bet i could. I'm not such a bad pilot myself! we don't have to sit here and listen-'' 

Arya reached out, resting a hand on Luke's arm to calm him down. He settled soon after that. 

'' we haven't that much with us. But we could pay you two thousand now, plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan.'' Ben stated. 

Arya saw Han's eyes light up at the sound of the pay out. 

'' Seventeen huh.'' Han questioned. 

There was silence for a few seconds. 

'' Okay. You guys got yourself a ship. we'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking bay Ninety-four.'' Han explained. 

'' Ninety-four.'' Ben repeated. 

There was the sound of heavy footfalls entering the building. Han's eyes strayed over to the sound. 

'' Look's like someones took notice of your handiwork.'' Han commented. 

Arya glanced over to find there were four storm troopers standing over the the body laying prone on the floor. They were asking the bartender something, and he began to point at the booth they were seated at. 

'' That is our cue to leave.'' Ben stated. '' We better get a move on.'' 

'' Let's go Arya.'' Luke stated, grabbing a hold of her arm to lead her out of the building. They managed to slip out before the storm troopers ever even noticed them. 

Once out in the sunlight again Arya pulled the hood back over her head, and continued to follow Luke and Ben to an open lot where they could sell off the speeder for up front cash. 

They did not quite get what they expectd. 

'' He says its the best he can do.'' Luke stated, counting the coins he had been handed to be sure he had been given the right amount.

'' It will be enough.'' Ben assured. '' If the ships as fast as he's boasting, we ought to do well.'' He added. 

'' I hope so.'' Luke mumbled. Arya bumped his shoulder, pulling him from what he was doing. ben had already started to walk away, nearly leaving them behind. The two teens raced off to keep up with him. 

It was about time to get off this forsaken planet. 

As the group approached the docking bay with the droids in tow they found Chewbacca waiting for them. He seemed like he was in a rush, quickly ushering them towards where the ship was docked. 

Arya gazed up at the ship, if she could call it one. It looked like a trash compactor had crushed it and then tried to put it back together with glue.

'' What a piece of junk.'' Luke commented. 

Arya swatted Luke's arm as she saw Han come down the boarding ramp to the ship. 

'' She'll make point five beyond the speed of light. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've added some special modifications myself.'' Han explained, patting the haul of the ship. 

Arya was still rather skeptical about the whole thing, but she would take his word for it. 

'' We're in a bit of a rush, so if you'll hurry aboard we'll get out of here.'' Han explained as Chewbacca ran up the ramp to start up the ships engines. Arya stuck close to Luke's side as they entered the Falcon. Arya caught C3PO saying hello to the captain, who appeared to be having none of it. 

The group had barely gotten on board, and found a place to sit, before there was a shout from the gang plank. Arya heard the sound of blaster fire followed by return fire. The gang plank closed as Han rushed past them. 

'' Chewie get us out of here!'' Han shouted as he ran to the cockpit. 

'' Better strap in.'' Ben warned the teens. 

Arya did as she was told. She had never traveled off of tatooine before, and she did not want her first experience to end in her injuring herself or worse. The ship began to rumble, and Arya felt the ship jerk slightly as it lifted into the air. It was not long before the ship began to smooth out. 

eventually they undo their restraints, and the three make their way to the cockpit. 

Arya was in awe at the sight. 

So this was what space looked like. A large expanse of starts and darkness that never seemed to end. It was breathtaking to her. 

'' Stay sharp! There are two more coming in; they're going to try to cut us off.'' Han stated as he typed away at the control board. 

'' Why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast.'' Luke commented. 

'' watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home. We'll be safe once we make the jump to light speed. Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose them.'' Han stated as he grabbed the controls to send the ship into a dive. Arya was forced to grab onto one of the chairs to keep her balance as her eyes caught sight of one of the star destroyers that was following them. It was much larger then she realized. When they were in orbit all they looked like was a pinprick of white against the sky. Now there was one not far from her. 

The ship shook as blaster fire erupted from the start destroyers. 

'' Here's where the fun begins.'' Han stated. 

'' How long before we can make the jump to light speed?'' Ben questioned, acting much more calm then Arya thought to be possible. 

'' It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer.'' Han stated as the ship began to rock ore violently. Arya fell back into the nearby seat, her stomach churning slightly. 

'' Don't get sick in my cockpit girly.'' Han warned, noting the green tint her cheeks had taken on. 

'' At the rate they're gaining-'' 

'' Traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops kid. without precise calculations we could fly through a star or bounce to close to a supernova and that would end the trip real quick.'' Han warned, cutting off Luke. 

Red warning lights began to flash on the control pannels. 

'' What's that flashing?'' Luke asked in alarm. 

'' We're losing our deflector shield. Go strap yourself in, I'm going to make the jump to light speed.'' Han warned. 

Arya watched from where she sat as Han pushed a lever on the console forward, and the stars in the view port began to stretch out into lines. Eventually all she could see was a blue light as the ship moved into light speed. After a sudden jerk from the ships speed change, things settled down once again. 

Arya let out a breath she did now know she had been holding in. Han did the same, turning to his passengers. 

'' See, I told you we'd make it.'' Han stated. 

Arya only laughed, slowly moving to stand. 

'' What's her problem?'' Han questioned. 

'' She's had it rough.'' Luke stated. '' Best to just leave her be.'' He explained. 

Arya could have laughed at that even. 

It was not every day someone could say they had lost two families in the span of only ten years. 

\---

It had been a few hours since they had taken off into Light speed. 

In that time Ben had taken to teaching Luke some Jedi training exercises with a seeker robot. He had his lightsaber activated, and was trying to deflect the laser bolts that shot out at random from the robot. Arya was fascinated at watching the training. She wished that she was strong enough to try something like that. 

However, something caught her eyes when she saw Ben turn away from Luke, taking a seat. He was pale, eyes distant as if he had just seen something. 

something was wrong. 

'' Are you alright? What's wrong?'' Luke asked as he disengaged his lightsaber to approach him. 

'' I felt a great disturbance in the force..... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.'' Ben stated. 

Arya shot an alarmed look towards Luke, who returned it. Ben rubbed at his head for a moment in deep thought, and then he fixed his gaze back on Luke. 

'' You better get on with your exercises.'' Ben stated as Han entered the room to join them. 

'' Well you can forget your troubles with those imperial slugs. I told you I'd outrun them.'' Han stated. 

Arya huffed a laugh at this, turning her gaze over to where Chewbacca sat at a holographic table playing some sort of chess game with C3PO.

'' Anyway, we should be at Alderaan in a little while.'' Han stated as he fell back into a nearby chair. 

Arya turned her gaze back to where Luke was standing. Ben's eyes followed his every move, watching to point out mistakes she bet. 

'' Remember, a Jedi can feel the force flowing through him.'' Ben stated. 

'' You mean it controls your actions?'' Luke asked, never once taking his eyes off the seeker robot. 

'' Partially.'' Ben stated. '' But it also obeys your commands.'' He explained. 

The seeker droid moved faster then Arya's eyes could follow, stopping within a foot of Luke's face. He did not even flinch. Then it rocketed behind him, and emitted a laser beam at him. Luke could not move fast enough to block it, taking a hit to his leg which caused him to stumble. Han let out a laugh to which Arya glared at him. 

'' Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no mach for a good blaster at your side, kid.'' Han stated, patting the one holstered at his side. 

'' You don't believe in the force, do you?'' Luke questioned as he regained his balance. 

'' Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all- powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.'' Han stated. 

Ben smiled slightly as he stood to retrieve something out of sight. 

'' It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.'' he stated. 

'' I suggest you try it again Luke.'' Ben stated as he placed a large helmet on Luke's head. The blast shield was down, making it so that he could not see a thing. '' This time let go of your conscious self and act on instinct.'' Ben explained. 

'' With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?'' Luke asked. 

'' Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them.'' Ben instructed. 

The seeker was in the air once more. Arya watched as it floated around Luke a few times, every now and then jerking as if to strike, but then doing nothing. 

Then, without warning, the seeker bot shot off three blaster bolts. 

Luke moved, and managed to stop all three of them before they could hit him. 

Arya's eyes lit up with amazement. How had he managed to do that? It was amazing. 

She wished that she could do the same thing. 

'' You got lucky kid.'' Han called out from where he was seated. 

'' Luke's not the only one here who can use the force.'' Ben pointed out. 

Arya looked towards Ben, wondering what he was talking about. 

'' The little one here has some force sensitivity as well.'' Ben pointed out. 

Now Arya's eyes opened wide in shock. 

What was he talking about. She did not have a connection to the Jedi like Luke did. Her parents had been moisture farmers just like Beru and Owen. 

'' I noticed it when I first met her.'' Ben explained. '' It's faint, but if she were to train to use it she could become a powerful Jedi.'' He stated. 

Arya's eyes lit up with excitement. 

'' Would you like to try the exercise?'' Ben asked her. 

Arya immediately shook her head yes, a bright smile spreading on her face. She moved to stand, approaching Luke. 

'' So, is there any reason why you don't say a word?'' Han questioned. 

Arya froze where she stood, her eyes sliding to look at him. 

'' Arya lost her family ten years ago.'' Luke stated for Arya. '' She's rarely ever said a word since then.'' 

'' Are you not her family kid?'' Han questioned. 

'' Not by blood.'' Luke stated. '' My aunt and uncle adopted her when her parents were killed. She's like a little sister to me.'' He explained. 

'' I see.'' Han whispered. 

Arya leaned against Luke's side, wanting to hide from the prying eyes Han was watching her with. She had suffered enough today, she did not want to suffer anymore. She felt Luke's arm loop around her shoulder to hold onto her. She leaned further into the touch. 

The moment did not last long however as a proximity alarm began to ring out. 

'' Looks like we're here.'' Han stated as he moved to head back to the cockpit with Chewie at his side. 

Arya and Luke followed the two, wanting to catch a glimpse of what alderaan looked like from space. 

However, she was not prepared for what she really saw. 


	5. Chapter 5

Arya could not believe what she was seeing. 

There was no planet to land on. All that was outside the view port was what appeared to be chunks of of earth and debris floating freely in space. 

What on earth had happened out there? 

'' This can't be right.'' Han mumbled as he grabbed the controls to maneuver the ship out of the debris field. 

Arya reached out, clinging onto Luke's arm. Something terrible had happened here. There was no reason that the planet should have just disappeared like this. It was impossible. 

What had become of Alderaan?

'' Where is Alderaan?'' Luke questioned. 

'' It looks like the planet you're looking for no longer exists.'' Han stated as he maneuvered the rest of the way out of the debris field. 

Arya sunk into a nearby chair. The air was torn from her lungs as she continued to gaze out the view port. 

How many people would she have to watch die today?

'' How could it just be gone?'' Luke asked. '' That's impossible.'' 

'' it was destroyed, by the Empire.'' Ben stated. 

'' impossible. The entire starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet. It'd take a thousand ships with more fire power then I've-''

Han was cut off as something began to flash on the control panels followed by an alarm. 

'' There's another ship coming in.'' Han stated. 

'' Maybe they know what happened.'' Luke pointed out. 

'' No, it's an Imperial fighter.'' Ben stated. 

Chewbacca cried out in concern as the ship trembled with an explosion far to close to the view port. A second later a small tie fighter flew past the window. 

'' It followed us.'' Luke cried out. 

'' No, it's a short range fighter.'' Ben stated. 

'' There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?'' Han questioned. 

Arya had a bad feeling deep in her gut. Something was not right about this. 

'' A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own.'' Ben stated, pulling Arya from her thoughts. She looked up to the older man in worry. 

Did he sense what she thought to?

'' Maybe it got lost, been part of a convoy or something.'' Luke said. 

'' Well, he ain't going to be around long enough to tell anyone about us.'' 

Arya watched as the image of the tie fighter grew larger in the viewport. 

'' Look, he's headed for that small moon.'' Luke pointed out, catching sight of the small planet before them. 

Arya squinted at the sight. 

Her eyes went wide in horror as the ship drew closer to it. 

'' That's no moon. That's a space station.'' Ben stated. 

'' It's too big to be a space station.'' Han stated. 

'' I have a very bad feeling about this.'' Luke mumbled. Arya reached out, grabbing his hand once more in fear. 

'' I think you're right. Full reverse Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power.'' Han ordered. 

Arya felt the ship shudder under her as if to stop, but it continued to move forward. She tried to keep her breathing steady, watching as the space station grew larger outside the view port. 

'' Why are we still moving towards it?'' Luke questioned in alarm. 

'' We're caught in a tractor beam! It's pulling us in.'' Han stated. 

'' There's got to be something you can do.'' Luke argued. 

'' There's nothing I can do about it kid. I'm in full power as it is. I'm going to have to shut down, but they're not going to get me without a fight.'' Han stated as he reached for the controls. 

However, Ben stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. 

'' You can't win this one like that, but there are alternatives to fighting.'' Ben stated. 

'' Yeah, like what?'' Han asked with a scoff. 

'' You're a smuggler are you not? You must have compartments meant for the goods you normally travel with.'' Ben stated. 

'' You can't be serious.'' Han mumbled. 

'' It's the best option. Unless you want to just walk into their open arms.'' Ben stated. 

There was silence for a few minutes. Arya watched as Han glanced back towards the hallway outside the cockpit. 

'' I think its worth a shot.'' Luke pointed out. '' We have to try something.'' 

Han seemed to contemplate this for another few seconds. 

'' Follow me.'' Han stated as he jumped out of the pilots seat to race for the hallway. Chewbacca was not far behind him, ushering the rest of them out of the cockpit to follow Han. 

They caught up with him in the hallway as he was prying at the panels in the floor. 

'' Chewie get over here and help me.'' Han called out as he struggled to lift it on his own. CHewbacca was by his side in seconds, already rushing to aid him in lifting the plate up. 

'' Are you sure this will work?'' Luke asked. 

'' It's the best chance we've got.'' Han stated. Once he had the second panel up he turned to them. '' Ladies first.'' He stated. 

Arya did not need to be told twice. With some help from Chewbacca she was carefully lowered into the small storage cell. She tucked herself against the wall, waiting for the rest of them to get in with her. Once they were all safely inside Chewbacca reached up and pulled the plates back to where they originally were. They were plunged into darkness. 

Arya let out a shaky breath, leaning against the wall. 

She felt a hand reach out, taking hold of hers. 

'' It'll be alright.'' Luke whispered to her. '' Don't be afraid.'' 

Arya nodded even though Luke could not see it. 

It was nearly ten minutes before she heard heavy foot falls overhead. It was the stormtroopers searching the ship. She gripped Luke's hand tighter then before, afraid of what would happen if they found them. Luke squeezed her hand back, trying to help keep her calm. Arya took a steadying breath, shutting her eyes despite not being able to see anything in the first place. 

Would they die just like Owen and Beru had?

Eventually it fell silent once again. Arya breathed a sigh of relief, letting her eyes open once again.

'' They're gone.'' Ben stated. '' It should be safe to come out now.'' He assured. 

Han was quick to start lifting one of the panels, Luke helping him to lift it free. Arya peered around herself as she looked to the hallway. There was no sign of trouble, which set her at ease. 

'' Boy, it's lucky you have these compartments.'' Luke commented as he moved to lift himself free. He reached back in, aiding Arya to get out as well. Once free she sat on the edge of the compartment, her legs dangling down inside it. 

'' Never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them.'' Han stated. '' This is just ridiculous. Even if I could take off the retractor beam would just pull us right back in.'' He stated with a huff of annoyance. 

'' Leave that to me.'' Ben stated as he lifted himself free of the compartment. 

'' They'll catch us before we can even get off the ship.'' Han stated. 

'' Not unless we find another way.'' Ben reminded. 

Arya carefully pushed to her feet. She was sure that those storm troopers would be back soon, and when they got back they were going to be caught. They would have no hope then. 

Then, it hit her. 

Arya spun around to look, grabbing his arm. 

'' What's the matter?'' Luke asked, alarmed at her sudden gesture. 

'' Trooper uniforms.'' Arya stated. 

'' Oh, she speaks.'' Han commented with a laugh. 

Arya glared at him, but otherwise ignored the captain. 

'' Disguise as storm troopers.'' Arya explained. 

There was a beat of silence. 

'' That could work.'' Han stated. 

The group hears footsteps coming back up the ramp into the ship. 

'' You may want to stay back.'' Han warned. 

Arya stepped so that she was standing behind Chewie, wanting to be out of the way of danger if at all possible. She watched as two crew men enter the ship with a box between them. 

Arya watched in awe as Chewie rushed forward, and with one swing had the two men on the ground unconscious. She had never seen such a thing before, and it amazed her. 

'' What now?'' Luke asked. 

'' Just watch.'' Han said as he moved towards the hatch. '' Hey down there, could you give us a hand with this?'' Han shouted. 

There was silence as Arya watched Han pull his blaster free of his holster. She saw Ben's hand move to grip at his light saber, moving to protect Luke in case a blaster bold went in the wrong direction. Arya moved once again to stand behind Chewie, eyes never leaving the entry way. 

She watched as the storm troopers entered. One second they fired at them, their blaster bolts missing completely. With a quick shot from Han he had the two of them on the ground unconscious. 

'' They're just stunned, long enough for us to take the uniforms.'' Han stated as he re-holstered the weapon. '' Pick one and get started.'' He said, already moving towards the nearest trooper. 

Arya did not have a fun time trying to get the trooper armor on. The empire had a thing against woman serving as storm troopers, so their armor was never meant for female forms. She was never very large in the chest, something that she used to get teased about by friends. However, despite the small size, it was still hard to fit the chest piece properly. Once she finally had it on it was hard for her to breathe properly. The helmet did not help all that much either. 

_'' TX-four-one-two. Why aren't you at your post?''_

Arya saw Luke remove the helmet, a worried look on his face. 

'' They're asking where the guards went.'' Luke stated. '' What now?'' he asked. 

'' Leave that to me kid.'' Han stated. '' You're with me girly. We're breaking into that office so we can find the control room for the re-tractor beam.'' Han explained. 

Arya did not question his decision. After all, they had to try something if they wanted to escape this. She pulled the helmet down over her head, and reached for the blaster on the floor. She followed Han, who had Chewie close beside him. They managed to get from the falcon to the entrance of the room without being caught, which actually surprised her. She stood on the other side of Chewie, blaster poised and ready to fire. 

The door slid open a moment later to reveal the guard on the other side. 

In one second Chewie had him on the ground. The next both she and Han were firing, taking out the rest of them before they could even process what had happened. As they stepped into the room Ben came up behind them with the droids in tow. Luke was the last one into the room, forcing the door shut before removing the helmet. 

'' You know, between him howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here.'' Luke stated. 

'' Bring them on.'' Han stated. '' I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around.'' 

'' We found the computer outlet, sir.'' C3PO explained. 

Arya watched as Ben typed some information into the computer, finally taking off her helmet. 

'' Plug in. He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial computer network.'' Ben instructed to R2. The droid did as he was asked, his little arm extending into the nearby wall. R2 beeped a few times, and then a rather excited sounding one came out. 

'' he says he's found the main computer to power the tractor beam that's holding the ship here. He's looking for the precise location now.'' C3PO explained. 

It was another minute or so before the monitor before them lit up with the read outs. Ben watched it for a moment, and a grim look passed his face. 

'' I don't think you guys can help. I must go alone.'' Ben stated. 

Arya shot the man an incredulous look. what on earth was he thinking?

'' Whatever you say. I've done more then I bargained for on this trip already.'' Han stated as he fell back into a nearby chair. 

'' I want to go with you.'' Luke stated, stepping up beside Ben. 

'' Patience Luke. I need you to stay here and watch the droids.'' Ben stated.

'' But Arya or he can-'' 

'' They must be delivered safely or other systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path than mine. The Force will be with you always.'' Ben stated. 

Arya watched as Ben opened the door, and disappeared down the hallway. 

Arya heard Han scoff behind her, to which she rolled her eyes. This guy was seriously full of it. 

'' Where the hell did you dig up that fossil?'' Han asked. 

'' Ben's a great man.'' Luke stated, annoyance in his tone. 

'' Yeah. Great at getting us in trouble.'' Han stated with a laugh. Arya glared at him in annoyance, letting out a huff. 

'' Well I didn't hear you giving any ideas.'' Luke pointed out. 

'' Well, anything would've been better than just hanging around waiting for him to pick us up.'' Han stated. 

That had both Arya and Luke ganging up on him. 

'' Who do you think-'' 

Luke was cut off when R2 began to beep rather loudly at them. 

'' What is it?'' Luke asked. 

'' I'm not quite sure, sir. He says I found her, and keeps repeating she's here.'' C3PO explained. R2 whistled once more, louder then before. '' Princess Leia.'' C3PO was able to pick out. 

'' Princess Leia? She's here?'' Luke asked in shock. 

'' Princess, what are you talking about?'' Han questioned. 

Arya rushed to stand beside R2. The princess was the woman they had seen in the hologram. Luke had managed to get R2 to show her the whole recording while they had been in hyperspace to help catch her up. 

'' She is on level five, detention block A A-twenty-three.... I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated.'' C3PO explained. 

'' What?'' Arya blurted out in shock. 

'' WE've got to do something.'' Luke stated. 

'' What are you talking about kid?'' Han questioned. 

'' The droids belong to her. She's the on in the message. We have to help her.'' Luke stated. 

'' Now look, don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here.'' Han stated, pushing up from his seat. Arya glared at him as he stepped closer to them. Someone's life was going to needlessly end if they did not try to save her. 

'' Ben didn't know she was here. We have to go after her.'' Luke argued. 

'' I'm not going anywhere.'' Han stated. 

Arya wanted to punch him in the face so bad right now. 

'' They're going to kill her if we don't do something.'' Luke yelled. 

'' Better her than me.'' Han said back. 

Arya huffed rather audibly, turning her back on the man. She wanted to go help the princess. If they were just going to keep arguing about it then she would go all by herself. 

However, an even better idea came to mind. 

Arya turned back around to face the two men. 

'' She's rich.'' Arya blurted out. 

That word got Han's attention. 

'' Rich?'' Han questioned. 

'' Yes. If we were to rescue her, the reward would be-'' 

'' Be what kid?'' Han asked, cutting Luke off before he could even finish. 

'' More wealth then you can imagine.'' Luke stated. 

'' I can imagine quite a lot.'' Han assured. 

'' And you'll get it.'' Luke said. '' But we have to save her first.'' 

Han seemed to contemplate this for a few minutes. 

'' Alright kid. But you'd better be right about this.'' Han stated. '' So, what's your plan?'' He asked. 


	6. Chapter 6

'' What's your plan?'' Han asked. 

Arya watched as Luke looked around the room for something. 

'' 3PO, hand me those binders there.'' Luke stated, pointing to the white cuffs resting near the control panel nearby. C3PO did as told, and then Luke turned towards where Chewbacca was standing. 

'' I'm going to put these on you.'' Luke stated, gesturing to the cuffs. 

Chewie was not happy about that at all. He growled rather menacingly at Luke, which caused him to jump back in fear. Arya flinched at the sight. Now she knew why it was best not to piss off a Wookie. 

She never wanted to get on Chewies bad side. 

'' Ok, Han, you put these on him.'' Luke stated, holding the binders out for the smuggler to take. Arya stepped up along side him, watching as Han mumbled something to the wookie. 

'' Do you think this will work?'' Arya asked. 

'' I hope so.'' Luke stated. '' If not, I don't think we'll last long enough to regret it.'' He added. 

Arya did not like the sound of that. 

'' Master Luke, sir. What should R2 and I do if we're discovered here?'' C3PO asked. 

'' Lock the door.'' Luke stated as he reached for his helmet and blaster. 

'' And hope they don't have blasters.'' Han added. 

'' That isn't very reassuring.'' C3PO mumbled. 

Arya only smiled at the comment as she shoved the helmet back on her head. After making sure her braids were tucked away safely inside she turned to follow Luke and Han out of the room. 

As they made their way down the hallway they tried to look as innocent as possible. There were groups of other troops and droids going up and down the hall, but none of them seemed to be paying any attention to them. There was a few stares they got from some uniformed men, probably lieutenants if Arya was not mistaken, sent towards Chewie. Then again, who would not stare at something that stood a good two or three feet taller then you did?

There was an elevator up ahead on the left. From the directions they got earlier it would take them straight to the detention level that the princess was being held on. Arya was quick to put in the code to take them to the detention level, and then they were off. As the elevator ascended, Luke moved to stand in front of CHewie. He was messing with the binders on his wrists, loosening them so that the wookie could easily free himself. 

''This isn't going to work.'' Han whispered. 

'' Why didn't you say so before?'' Luke questioned. 

'' I did say so before.'' Han argued. 

Arya was sure that if Luke had not been wearing the storm trooper helmet she would have seen him role his eyes at Han's comment. 

Arya forced herself to take a steady breath. This was not the time to let her emotions get the best of her. She had to stay calm if there was any chance of them getting out of here alive, and with the princess. 

The elevator finally came to a stop, and the doors slid open with a swishing noise. Her eyes immediately found a group of officers standing before a control panel turn to face them. None of them looked happy with seeing them. 

'' Where are you taking this thing?'' The first officer asked. 

Chewbacca growled towards the officer at his words. Arya reached out, bumping his arm to try and remind him to stay calm. The last thing they needed was a fire fight. 

'' Prisoner transfer from block one-one-three-eight.'' Luke stated. 

The officer looked puzzled by this. 

'' I was not notified. I'll have to clear it.'' He stated. 

Arya watched as the officer turned his back to punch the information into the control panel. Looking around herself, she could see three troopers in the room with them. None of them appeared to be suspicious about them, which worked in their favor. 

It was now or never. 

Arya looked towards Han, who stood on her left. She bumped his arm, and in turn he did the same to Chewie. 

That was his cue to go berserk. 

The wookie let out a loud battle cry as he broke free of the binders. 

'' Look out he's loose!'' Han screamed. 

'' He's going to tear us apart!'' Luke added. 

None of the troopers in the room move for a few seconds as Arya raises her blaster, along with Luke and Han, to fire. They aimed as if to hit Chewie, but all of their shots missed. Their blaster fire instead took out the camera's lining the wall, along with the troopers and officers in the room. Within just a few minutes they were all down for the count, and they were free to begin their search for the princess. 

'' Alright. Let's find out which cell this princess of yours is in.'' Han stated as he moved to the control board. He scanned through some information on the screen. '' Found it. Cell twenty-one-eight-seven. You go get her, I'll hold them here.'' 

'' Arya let's go.'' Luke called out as he turned to race down the hall. She heard Han try to use the comlink to keep people from coming up here. 

Of course, that did not work. 

Before she knew it Han had shot the comlink, silencing it. 

'' Luke! We're going to have company!'' Han shouted. 

They were in trouble now. 

Arya and Luke continued their search, and within a minute they were able to find the cell that was holding the princess. Luke forced the door open, finding the princess laying on a small bench. She was wearing the same white dress she had in the recording R2 had. She is watching him with a look that Arya could not quite identify. 

'' Aren't you a little short to be stormtroopers?'' She asked them. 

'' What?.... Oh, the uniform.'' 

Luke and Arya quickly remove the helmets. Arya sees the princess's eyes go wide at the realization that she was a girl under the mask. 

'' I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you.'' Luke stated, throwing the helmet down on the floor. 

'' You're who?'' Leia questioned. 

'' I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben kenobi.'' Luke explained. 

That got the princess's attention. She was on her feet in seconds. 

'' Ben Kenobi is here! Where is he?'' She asked. 

'' Come on!'' Like stated, leading her out of the cell. 

Arya leaded the way before them, running down the corridor to reach where Han was standing with Chewie. However, she did not get very far before there was a loud explosion. The hall begins to fill with smoke as Han and Chewie come rushing towards them. 

'' Can't get out that way.'' Han called out. 

'' Look's like you managed to cut off our only escape route.'' Leia stated. 

'' Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, your highness.'' Han commented. 

Blaster fire begins to reign down on them. Arya takes a stance, holding her own blaster out to return fire. It was not much, but she did manage to take out three of them. She could hear Luke yelling into his comlink trying to get a hold of C3PO probably. 

'' There's no other way out.'' Luke cried out. 

'' I can't hold them off forever.'' Han stated. '' Now what!'' 

Arya moved to find a new position to fire from. 

Before she could even move a foot there was a flash to her right, and then her arm was lit up with fire. She crashed into the wall, her arm burning in agony she had never felt before. Her scream was drowned out by the sound of blaster fire. 

'' Arya!'' 

She felt arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her back to safety. She looked up to find that it had been Chewie who pulled her back. The wookie was using himself as a shield to protect her from any further blaster fire. 

'' Is she ok?'' She heard Luke cry out in fear. 

'' It's just a blaster bold to the shoulder kid. She'll be ok.'' Han assured. 

'' Did you not have a plan to get out of here?'' Leia cried out. 

'' He's the brains sweetheart.'' Han stated, pointing to Luke. 

Arya leaned her head back against the wall, eyes shut. 

She was going to die here. 

However, she was proven wrong when she felt the blaster ripped from her grasp. She looked up to find that it was Leia who had taken it. She used the blaster to make a hole in the nearby grate, big enough for someone to fit through. 

'' What the hell are you doing?'' Han asked. 

'' Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute flyboy.'' Leia called out before jumping through the small opening herself. 

Arya was helped to her feet by Chewbacca. She heard the wookie bark something to Han, which had the captain arguing as well. 

'' Go Arya.'' Luke said. '' I'll be right behind you.'' 

Arya cast one last glance towards her brother before Chewie helped her through the hole, and then she was falling. 

It was not a soft landing at the bottom. She just laid there, eyes shut in agony as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Someone fell beside her about a minute later, and then arms were pulling her up. Once again she was in Chewies arms, the wookie holding her bridal style above the trash piles they now stood in. Arya leaned over, glancing to her right to watch as Luke fell into the garbage pile beside where they were standing. He was quick to get to his feet, looking around them. 

'' Is there a door somewhere in here?'' Luke questioned. 

'' Yeah, but its locked.'' Leia stated from where she was standing on top of a nearby trash pile. Luke immediately held up the blaster still in his hands, and fired at the control panel on the wall. 

Arya thought it would force the door open, but instead the bolt bounced off it and ricocheted all around them. Chewie dove for cover, once again using his own body as a shield to protect Arya from the blast. It was a few seconds before the blaster bolt finally struck something and stopped. When it did Chewie finally let go of Arya, allowing her to walk on her own towards where Luke was standing. 

'' Yeah, that's not a good idea.'' Luke mumbled. 

Arya rolled her eyes at this. 

Finally Han managed to make it down to them, landing not to far behind where Arya was standing. 

'' Oh, the garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered! Let's get out of here, get away from there.'' Han said, pointing his blaster to the door.

'' No wait!'' Luke cried out. 

It was too late. Han had already fired, and the blaster bolt went wild around the room. Arya ducked for cover, shielding her head as best as she could with her arms. When the bolt finally disappeared both Arya and Leia shot grim looks in Han's direction. 

'' I already tried that, it's magnetically sealed!'' Luke argued. 

'' Put that thing away, you're going to get us all killed!'' Leia screamed. 

'' Absolutely your worship.'' Han said in a mocking tone. '' I had everything under control until you led us down here. It's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us.'' He added. 

'' It could be worse.'' Leia stated. 

Arya nodded in agreement, but was distracted when a loud inhuman sound rang out around them. She heard Chewie move towards the corner of the room, cowering away from the noise. Both Luke and Han had their blasters out and ready to fire at what ever might have made the noise. 

'' It's worse.'' Han quickly stated. 

'' There's something alive in here.'' Luke whispered. 

'' That's just your imagination kid.'' Han argued. 

Arya took a set backwards, afraid about what might be in here with them. 

Something moved beside her leg, inching closer to where Luke stood. 

'' Something just moved past my leg!'' Luke cried out as he looked down to try and see what it was. Arya's eyes followed where she had last seen it, watching as something dark and slimy looking breached the water. '' There, did you see it!?'' Luke asked. 

'' See what?'' Han questioned. 

There was a moment of silence. Arya's eyes never left the murky waters at their feet. 

Then, in the blink of an eye, she watched as something wrapped around Luke's leg, and pulled him under. She heard him cry out in fear, and then he was gone. 

'' NO!'' Arya cried out. 

Han immediately jumped into action, shouting Luke's name as he sifted through the trash to try and find him. It was only a few seconds before Luke managed to reach the surface again. There was a long tentacle wrapped around his torso and neck, fighting to pull him back under. 

'' Luke, grab a hold of this!'' Leia cried out as she held out a long metal pipe towards him. He tried to grab it, but he was to busy trying to free himself. 

'' Blast it, will you!'' Luke cried out. 

'' Where?'' Han asked. He was afraid he would kill the kid if he tried. 

'' Anywhere!'' Luke screamed before the thing pulled him back under. Arya watched Han fire once down into the water. 

Then the walls of the receptacle shuddered, and moved inwards. 

Arya felt fear rise in her throat. 

This was not good. 

There was silence for a moment as she watched for any sign of Luke resurfacing. She began to fear that he was not coming back. 

However, there was a rush of bubbles on the water, and then Luke popped up once again, coughing up the murky water he had managed to swallow. Arya immediately rushed to his side, helping him the rest of the way up. 

'' What happened?'' Leia asked. 

'' I don't know. It just let go of me and disappeared.'' Luke stated before doubling over to cough up more murky water. 

Arya was about to ask him if he was ok, but the walls began to rumble, and move inwards once again. She saw Luke look up in horror. 

'' The walls are moving.'' 

'' Don't just stand there. Try to brace it with something!'' Leia cried out. 

Arya could not do much given her injury. She watched as Han helped Leia to try and place the pipe she had used earlier to brace the wall. Luke was trying his best to do the same, but the pipes were doing no good. They were bending under the force. 

'' Luke!'' Arya cried out. She could not climb on top of the pile on her own. She reached out, taking his hand to help lift herself. '' C3PO. He has a com.'' She reminded. 

'' Wait a minute!'' 

She watched as he reached for the comlink on his belt. 

'' 3PO, come in 3PO! Where could he be? He's not answering.'' Luke stated in horror. 

'' Get to the top!'' Han cried out. 

'' I can't.'' Leia stated. 

Arya clawed her way to the top of the pile. Her shoulder was burning, fresh blood beginning to soak the cloth around her wound. 

'' One things for sure, we're all going to be a lot thinner.'' Han stated. 

_'' Are you there, sir?''_

'' 3PO!'' Luke cried out in surprise. 

_'' We've had some problems-''_

'' Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all garbage mashers on the detention level will you? Do you copy?'' Luke yelled into the comlink. 

The walls were growing closer. There was maybe four feet between them. 

'' Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!'' Luke cried out. 

There was a beat of silence as the walls continued to move. 

Then, with a sudden jerk, the walls stopped moving. 

For a moment the small group just stood there, unable to believe what just happened. 

Then they began to cheer. 

Their lives had been saved. 

'' 3PO, we're all right!'' Luke stated into the comlink. '' You did great. Now open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number..... Where are we?'' 

Arya watched as Luke turned to try and spot the numbers above the control panel to the door. 

'' Three-two-six-eight-two-seven.'' Luke stated. 

Arya was able to breath a sigh of relief. 

They lived to be able to see another few hours maybe.

\---

Shortly after escaping the garbage receptacle the group removed the trooper uniforms they had taken when they first got here. It was harder for Arya to do with the wound to her shoulder, but she managed. With Leia's help they made a make shift sling for her arm out of the cloth lining the inside of the armor, keeping the pressure and weight off her injured shoulder. She would have to wait for further treatment later, but for now this would work. 

'' If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get out of here.'' Han stated. 

Arya glared at him as she took one of the blasters into her free hand. 

However, she is distracted when Chewie cries out in fear, pointing to the hatch before running away from it. 

'' Where are you going?'' Han questioned. 

Arya glanced to the door to try and see what Chewie had. Sure enough, the creature that had attacked Luke was back, and searching for a new victim. Han instantly held up his blaster to fire. 

'' No, wait. They'll hear!'' Leia cried out. 

Han completely ignored her as he fired into the hold, and the tentacle fell still against the piles of garbage. Arya saw Luke shake his head out of the corner of his eyes, and Leia rolled her eyes. 

'' Come here you big coward.'' Han stated. Chewie still shook his head no. 

'' Listen. I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Ok.'' Leia stated. 

Arya could get behind that. She trusted the princess more then she did Han. 

'' Look, your worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from one person. Me!'' Han stated. 

'' It's a wonder you're still alive.'' Leia scoffed as she turned to walk down the hallway. '' Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?'' Leia spoke as she looked up at Chewie. 

Arya saw Han shoot a look towards Luke. 

'' No reward is worth this.'' Han mumbled. 

Arya chuckled as she walked up along side Chewie. 

'' I think you're a cute walking carpet.'' Arya whispered so that only the wookie would hear her. 

Chewie looked down to her, and if she was not mistaken he smiled at her. 


	7. Chapter 7

Arya was not sure how long they were traversing the empty hallway. Eventually they managed to find a window that overlooked the docking bay. She rushed up to it, gazing down upon the dock floor. A smile spread across her face when she spotted the millenium falcon right where they have left it. 

'' There she is.'' Han stated, gesturing to the ship through the window. 

Luke had reached for his comlink, and was currently talking with 3PO on the other end. 

'' We're right above you. Standby.'' Luke told them. 

'' You came in that thing? You're braver then I thought.'' Leia stated with a small smile. 

'' Nice. Come on!'' Han stated, directing them towards the door. 

Arya followed close behind Han as they rounded the corner. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted twenty or more storm troopers coming right at them. 

'' It's them! Blast them!'' One of the troopers called out. 

Arya raises her blaster as if to fire, but Han beat her to this. He begins to fire as he chases them down the hallway. Chewie was not far behind them, ready to fight. 

'' Get back to the ship!'' Han shouted over his shoulder. 

'' Where are you going, come back!'' 

Han was gone before he could even hear what Luke had to say. 

'' What good will it do us if he gets himself killed.'' Luke mumbled. '' Come on!'' 

Luke begins to lead Arya and Leia towards the hangar deck. As they run more stormtroopers come up on them, forcing Luke and Arya to fire on them. She managed to take a few down, but it was not an easy task with only one arm. 

There was an open hatch up ahead that the three immediately ran for. What they were not expecting was for it to be a bridge that had been retracted into the wall. Luke barely had the time to stop himself. He would have fallen had Leia not reached out to pull him back. 

'' I think we took a wrong turn.'' Luke mumbled. 

Blaster fire exploded next to where Arya was standing. She spun around and began to return their fire. Leia moved out of the corner of her eye, hitting a switch on the wall that forced the hatch door shut. 

'' There's no lock!'' Leia cried out. 

Luke turned to the control panel, and fired at it once. Sparks flew from the buttons as they burned. 

'' That should hold it for awhile.'' Luke stated. 

'' WE've got to get across. Find the control that extends the bridge.'' Leia urged. 

Arya stood back up from where she crouched, looking to the control board before shooting Luke a look that would have killed. 

'' I think I just blasted it.'' Luke said sheepishly. 

There is a loud bang from the other side of the door, meaning that the storm troopers were trying to break down the door to get at them. 

'' They're coming through!'' Leia cried out in fear. 

More blaster fire begins to reign down from overhead. Arya looks up to find storm troopers across the way from them on a higher perch. She turns to fire, taking one of the troopers out as Luke does the same. 

'' Here, hold this.'' Luke said, handing his blaster off to Leia. 

Arya watched out of the corner of her eye as Luke pulled a cable from the utility belt he had kept from the trooper uniform. There was a grappling hook on the end of it. Arya realized right away what he had planned as she reached for her own belt. IT was a little harder for her to handle with only one free hand, but she managed it. 

The door at her back lifted about four inches off the ground, revealing the troopers feet on the other side. 

'' Here they come!'' Leia stated. 

Luke was quick to throw the hook as far as he could, the rope wrapping around an outcropping of pipes. He tugged it a few times to make sure it stayed put before signaling for Arya to throw hers. She managed to get it the first time, and it stuck. Arya glances over to spot Luke grabbing a hold of Leia, and before she could comprehend it the princess leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. 

'' For luck.'' Leia stated. 

Arya only shook her head as she swung across first. It was hard to hold her weight with just one arm, but she had strength thanks to the years of helping Owen work on the vaporators back home. She landed easily, detaching the cable with ease. She turned back to watch as Luke pulled Leia close to his side, and then swung across the abyss below them. They landed just as the door across the way was broken through. Arya immediately returned fire as Luke freed the cord from his belt. Once he was free the small group took off down the hallway once again. 

They ran for a time before finally finding both Han and Chewie. 

'' What kept you?'' Han asked. 

'' We ran into some old friends.'' Leia stated. 

'' Is the ship alright?'' Luke asked. 

'' Seems ok, if we can get to it. Just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission.'' Han stated. '' We've got an opening. Let's go.'' 

The group rushes towards the ship, not wanting to waste the chance they had. Arya is only a little ways in front of Luke, who was bringing up the rear. 

'' Look!'' Luke called out. 

Arya spun on her heal, eyes quickly finding what it was that had caught his attention. 

It was Ben, and he was fighting Darth Vader. Both men had their light sabers drawn, blue and red blades clashing with mighty force. The group just stands there watching it for a few minutes, mesmerized by what they were seeing. The storm troopers were not paying attention to them, so they had a chance to escape. 

'' Now's our chance. Let's go!'' Han cried out, trying to get Luke to turn and run. 

Arya did not even see him flinch from where he was standing. He was watching the fight with unblinking eyes. She rushed to his side, taking a hold of his arm to try and pull him back. 

Her eyes lifted towards the duel for a split second.

She watched as Vader used his light saber to cut Ben in half, his cloak fluttering to the ground in two pieces. His light saber lands on top of the brown cloth, the blade having disappeared. 

'' No!'' Luke screamed. 

Arya felt tears fill her eyes as she released her grip on Luke's arm. 

They were going to pay for what they had done. 

The two teens began to fire on the storm troopers, who had now turned their attention to them. Han joined them from where he stood at the base of the ramp into the falcon. 

'' Kid, come on!'' Han yelled. 

'' Come on Luke, it's too late!'' Leia yelled. 

Arya spots Vader turning to approach them. The eyes of his mask spot her first, and she is immediately frozen to where she stands. She could not even move. 

Suddenly there is a searing pain in her leg, and she falls to one knee. 

'' Blast the door kid!'' Han shouts. 

Luke does just that, and the door slides shut blocking all but three troopers from getting inside. He moved to fire once more, kneeling beside Arya. 

_Run Luke, run._

Arya blinked, confused. 

Had she heard that right?

She felt hands pulling her up, her arm thrown over Luke's shoulder. 

'' We've gotta go.'' Luke stated, practically carrying her back to the falcon. 

Once on board Arya finds that she can no longer bear weight on her left leg. The searing pain is far to much for her already injured and battered body. She collapses on the deck, black dots dancing in her eyes. 

'' I need some help.'' Luke cried out, voice filled with anguish. 

Arya saw a flurry of white fabric, and then another set of hands was helping to lift her up. She looked to her right to find Leia helping to lead her to the main hold. 

'' You're going to be ok, just stay awake.'' Leia assured, flashing her a soft smile. 

If Arya had not been in so much pain she would have smiled back. 

They both set her down on the bench before the holochess board, elevating the injured leg. Leia was quick to look over the wound, her hand grazing over the blaster burn to her thigh. 

'' It looks like it just grazed you. A bacta patch should do the trick if our captain has any on board this trashcan.'' Leia stated. 

The three felt the ship lift off, and jerked forward as they took off into space. As the ship began to settle Arya spotted Luke fall into a nearby chair, a sad look on his face. 

Arya reached out with her good hand, grabbing ahold of Luke's hand and gripping it tightly. Tears pricked her own eyes. IT was rare for her to see her adopted brother so upset like this. 

Leia had left the room a few minutes ago to fetch something to help with her injuries. When she came back she had a med kit in hand, as well as a blanket. She set the med kit down first, which did not look like much. She then unfolded the blanket, and draped it over Luke's shoulders. She sat beside him for a moment, a sad look on her face. She smiles comfortingly at him when he glances over to her. 

'' I can't believe he's gone.'' Luke whispered. 

'' There's nothing you could have done.'' Leia stated. 

There was a ruckus from the hallway, and then Han was in the hold area. 

'' Come on kid. We're not out of this yet.'' Han stated, patting him on the shoulder before rushing to the ladders that lead to the gunport. Han went to the upper one, leaving Luke to take the lower one once he was up and moving. 

'' Will you be ok on your own?'' Leia asked, wanting to go to the cockpit to watch. 

'' Yes.'' Arya whispered. '' Go.'' She urged. 

Leia flashed her a thankful smile before rushing to the cockpit. 

Arya sat there just listening to the fight going on outside for the longest time. Eventually her eyes found the med kit resting on the table. 

Better to treat her wounds now then wait until they get infected. 

Arya took the kit into her hands, and opened it up. There was a pair of scissors to cut away some material of her pants to get to the blaster wound there. She grabbed a larger sized bacta patch, and slapped it onto the wound. For a moment it stung, but the bacta began to take effect as the pain began to dim. She then took a role of gauze and gently wrapped it around her leg to make sure the patch did not go anywhere. 

Her shoulder was another issue entirely. She was only able to press a bacta patch to the wound, but found that just one was not good enough. She ended up needing three to cover the whole wound, and she had to keep pressure on it until someone came by to help her bind it. 

She hears Luke and Han shouting to each other as they tried to take out the four tie fighters that were out there. 

Eventually, the fight came to an end with cheers of joy from every one on board. 

Arya hears a crash from somewhere nearby, and looks up to find C3PO lying on the floor tangled in sparking and smoking wires. 

'' Help, I think I'm melting.'' C3PO cried out. '' R2 this is all your fault.'' He complained. 

Arya giggled to herself as both Han and Luke returned from the gun turrets. Han went off towards the cockpit, while Luke rushed to Arya's side. 

'' Need a hand?'' He asked, already reaching for the gauze role in the med kit. Arya nodded her thanks as Luke set to work wrapping her shoulder for a second time to hold the bacta patches in place. '' I think you're lucky. If he hadn't had these then the wounds could have gotten infected.'' Luke commented under his breath. 

'' I'll be alright.'' Arya stated. '' It doesn't hurt that bad anymore.'' She explained. 

'' You'll need proper medical attention when we get to the base, if that's where we're going that is.'' Luke explained. 

Arya reached out with her free hand, resting it on Luke's shoulder. He looked up to her, and there was no missing the pain in his eyes. They had both lost a lot today, and they were both suffering for it. 

'' It's going to be ok.'' Arya whispered. 

Luke nodded in agreement as he tied off the gauze to hold it in place. 

'' I better go check where we're heading now.'' Luke stated. '' I'll be right back.'' 

Before he left he took the blanket Leia had fetched for him earlier, and draped it over her body. He then left for the cockpit. 

It was only a minute or so before she heard footsteps. She looked up to find that it was Princess Leia, a grim look on her face. 

'' I don't know how it is you've put up with that pilot for this rescue mission.'' Leia stated as she moved to take a seat beside her. '' He won't listen to me. They let us go to easily. I'm sure they placed a tracking device on board while we were running for our lives.'' 

Arya nodded, gaze falling. 

'' Are you doing ok?'' Leia asked. '' You got hit twice while we were on that thing.'' She stated. 

'' I'm ok.'' Arya whispered. 

There was silence between the two for the longest time. 

'' So, are you and Luke brother and sister?'' Leia asked after awhile. 

'' No.'' Arya whispered. '' His aunt and uncle took me in when my parents died. I've lived under the same roof as him for ten years now.''

'' What happened to them?'' Leia asked. 

'' They were killed my storm troopers, right in front of me. There was nothing left for me there, that's why I came here with Luke.'' Arya whispered. 

'' I'm so sorry for your loss.'' Leia whispered. '' They must have been special to you.'' 

'' You lost more then we did.'' Arya whispered. '' We saw what became of Alderaan. I don't ever want to see that happen to another world again.'' 

'' If we can make it back to Yavin in time then we won't let it happen.'' Leia stated. '' I'm sure with the plans stored in R2's memory we can find a weakness to take it down.'' 

'' I hope you're right.'' Arya whispered. 

Something moved out of the corner of her eyes. She glanced up, surprised to find that Luke was standing just a few feet away. There was a look of shock on his face. 

'' You got her to talk.'' Luke whispered. '' She's never talked to anyone other then myself or my aunt.'' He stated. 

Leia looked over to him in shock, her eyes trailing back to Arya. 

Maybe this whole experience was good for more then just getting her off of Tatooine. 

'' We've got four hours before we reach where we're heading.'' Han called out as he entered the room. '' The girly might be more comfortable sleeping in the medical bunk instead of on that bench until we get there.'' 

No one bothered to respond. 

A puzzled look crossed Hans face. 

'' What's going on?'' Han asked. 

'' Leia got Arya to talk.'' Luke stated. '' More so then just a few words here and there.'' He added. 

'' Seriously?'' Han asked, glancing over to the black haired teen. '' I don't believe it after what I've seen of her.'' He stated. 

'' I think I'll be just fine staying right here.'' Arya stated with a smug look on her face. 

Han's eyes went wide at the sound of her voice. 

Both Arya and Luke began to laugh at the sight. 

'' Look's like we've corrupted the girly already.'' Han stated. '' Just what could be next?'' he questioned as he turned to leave the room. They heard him call out to Chewie about something before disappearing from sight. 

It was going to be a long four hours. 


	8. Chapter 8

Arya stared at the chess board before her, watching as the 3D figures moved around as she chose her next move. 

Chewie was sitting across from her playing, while Luke and Leia were spectating from across the room. 

'' It's a tight match.'' Leia commented. 

'' Yeah..... I don't know who's gonna win this round.'' Luke stated. 

Arya watched as Chewie moved his pieces across the board, taking out one of her own. 

She only smiled as she finally made her final move. In the span of a few seconds Chewies pieces were all gone, and she had won. 

Chewie was still for a moment, a strange noise escaping his throat as he tried to figure out what had just happened. 

'' Please tell me she didn't just tick him off?'' Leia pleaded. 

'' I'm hoping not.'' Luke added. 

However, they did not get long to dwell on it. Han popped his head into the room. 

'' Hey, were about to come out of hyper space.'' Han stated. '' So you may want to strap in.'' 

'' I'll need to contact the base or they will think we're enemy ships.'' Leia stated. '' It'd be best if I'm in the cockpit.'' 

She and Chewie left to follow Han as the chess table powered off. Luke moved to sit beside Arya. 

'' I don't know about you, but I want to see what this Yavin looks like.'' Luke stated. '' Neither one of us has seen another planet other then Tatooine. This would be a great start.'' He added. 

'' Yeah.'' Arya agreed. '' Help me up.'' She stated, already moving to try to stand. She could not bear some weight on her injured leg thanks to the bacta patch, but it still hurt like hell. She had to lean on Luke to reach the cockpit, and once she was there she immediately fell into the one free chair in there. 

She watched as the stars outside the view port transitioned from lines to pinpoints once again as the ship came out of hyper space. 

The planet resting just outside the view port was lush with green and blue, clouds floating in its atmosphere. 

Arya's eyes went wide at the sight, unable to believe what she was seeing. Her home planet was only made of sand and rock. It was nothing really interesting to look at. This planet, however, was much more beautiful, and full of life. She could not believe it. 

'' It's so green.'' She heard Luke whisper. 

'' You've never seen a sight like this?'' Leia questioned. 

'' No. Arya and I both grew up on Tatooine. There's nothing but rock and sand there.'' Luke stated, eyes never leaving the view port. The ship was jostled a little bit as it entered the atmosphere. Once things settled down again Han brought the ship a little lower so that they had a clear view of the tree line. 

'' It's so beautiful.'' Arya whispered. 

'' We're coming up on the base. They informed us to land on platform nine.'' Leia stated. 

'' Anything else I should know?'' Han asked. 

'' Only that your ship will be in good hands until you decide to take off.'' Leia stated in a mocking tone. 

Arya ignored their bickering, her eyes focused on the sight outside. 

\---

Upon their landing the group was met with medical staff who had a hover stretcher ready for Arya. 

Chewie carried her down the ramp of the falcon, being careful not to jostle her injuries to much as he set her down on the stretcher. When he stepped back Luke moved closer to her, grabbing a hold of her hand. 

'' I'll meet up with you in a little while.'' Luke stated. '' You're in safe hands.'' He assured. 

Arya nodded, giving Luke's hand one last squeeze before the medical staff began to take her inside the base. 

There were people all over the place. Some were dressed as commanders, others wearing fatigues. Some that she saw were not even human. She turned her head to the side, gazing out at what appeared to be a hanger bay. There were fighters parked there, many of which she did not know the names for. Maybe Luke could tell her when they met back up. 

The medical bay smelled of antiseptic, a stark contrast to when they had been in the hanger. Arya was moved to a medical bunk, where a droid quickly looked her over. 

'' You have suffered two blaster shots, causing serious burns and damage.'' The droid stated in its monotone voice. 

'' Who ever treated her wounds was smart though. Those are bacta patches.'' Someone called out from across the room. '' She won't need submerged in the bacta tank, though we should redo the bindings just to be safe.'' 

Arya could not argue that. She had heard stories about bacta tanks from some of her old friends. None of those stories were very pleasant. 

It did not take long for the droid, with some help from the human medic, to rebind her wounds. Once they were finished they hooked her up to an IV drip of sorts, and told her to rest. 

Arya fought sleep at first. She wanted to stay awake, and go find out where Luke was. However, her tired body won the fight as she soon dropped off into dream land. 

\---

When Arya woke again she was surprised to find that she was not alone in the room anymore. 

She glanced to her right to find Luke sitting there, a soft smile on his face. 

'' Hi.'' Arya whispered. 

'' How are you feeling?'' Luke asked. 

'' Better.'' She stated. '' What happened after I left?'' She asked. 

'' The techs here were able to get some information out of the plans hidden in R2. They think there's a way to take out the death star with a single shot.'' Luke stated. '' But...'' He trailed off. 

Something was wrong. 

'' What's the matter?'' Arya asked. She watched as Luke's gaze moved to stare at the floor. 

'' The death star's coming here.'' Luke stated. '' There was a tracking beacon on the Falcon, just like Leia predicted. High command says the death star will be here within a few hours.'' He explained. 

'' Are you serious?'' Arya asked in shock. 

'' Yeah.'' Luke whispered. '' I don't know what that means for us.'' 

'' Are we going to die?'' Arya asked. 

Luke did not respond to her. 

Arya felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes as she gazed up at the ceiling. 

It was all over for them. 

They were going to die after coming this far to try and do what was right. 

She was not ready to die yet. She still had many years ahead of her. 

'' Leia asked me if there was a way I could help. I told her that I had always wanted to be a pilot.'' Luke eventually said. 

Arya's gaze drifted back to him. 

'' She told me I could take part in the mission to try and take out the death star.'' Luke explained. '' Those plans R2 had in him revealed a weakness. If we can shoot missiles down an air duct on the far side of the battle station it should lead the missiles directly to the core and take it out.'' 

'' Did you say yes?'' Arya asked. 

'' I did.'' Luke answered. '' I can't just sit back and watch it happen. I want to be able to help them somehow.'' He explained. 

'' But you could die.'' Arya whispered. 

'' And if this plan doesn't work then we'll die anyways.'' Luke stated. 

'' Please don't.'' Arya begged. She lunged forward, arms wrapping around Luke's shoulders as her tears began to fall. '' I can't lose you. You're all I have left.'' She sobbed. 

'' I know.'' Luke whispered. '' But I have to do this.'' he stated. 

Arya nodded against his shoulder. She knew that there was no changing his decision now. Once he made up his mind there was no going back. 

'' Make me a promise.'' Arya whispered. 

'' What is it?'' Luke asked. 

'' Promise me that you'll come back safe and sound.'' Arya stated. '' I don't want to lose what's left of my family.'' 

'' I promise. I'll come back.'' Luke whispered. '' Now I need you to make me a promise.'' Luke stated. 

'' Yeah?'' 

Luke backed away from Arya, reaching for his belt. 

Arya's eyes opened wide when she realized what he was doing. 

Luke placed his lightsaber in her hands, the metal of the hilt cold to the touch. 

'' I want you to hold onto this for me till I get back.'' Luke said. '' I trust you with it more than anyone else.'' He stated. 

'' Are you sure?'' Arya asked. 

'' I'm positive.'' Luke assured. 

Fresh tears began to mark Arya's face as she reached out to hug Luke one more time. 

'' I need to go now. The operation is going to start soon, so I need to get ready.'' He explained. 

'' Please don't die.'' Arya whispered one last time. 

'' I won't.'' Luke assured. 

She let go of him after a moment, allowing him to leave the room. 

Once he was gone Arya gazed down at the light saber in her lab. 

She would not let anything happen to it until Luke came back to her. 

\---

An alarm began to blare, signaling the approach of the death star. 

The mission was about to begin. 

'' Are you sure that you want her in the control room Princess?'' A medic asked as he pushed the hover chair down the hallway. Arya was sitting in it, a blanket placed over her legs to keep her warm. She still held onto Luke's light saber, refusing to leave it behind despite the medics clear unease about it. 

'' I promised her brother I would keep an eye on her until the mission is finished.'' Leia stated. '' So please, just do as I ask.'' 

The mission room was rather dark, screens lit up with indicators of where the fighters were at. They were approaching the death star, all of them close enough to begin the assault. 

Arya was brought to a hault in front of the holo table that Leia now stood at along side some other alliance officials. She sat forward enough to see what was playing out on the feed. Her eyes quickly caught sight of red 5 among the red squadron. Luke was piloting that ship if Leia had told her correctly. 

'' Luke will be ok, right?'' Arya asked, turning her gaze towards Leia. The princess returned it with a small smile. 

'' I'm sure he'll be just fine. He seems to stubborn to die.'' Leia said. 

Arya chuckled at her words. 

_Lock S-foils in attack position._

Arya watched as the markers on the screen all fell into formation, slowly moving closer to the Death Star. 

_Look at the size of that thing!_

_Cut the chatter, Red Two._

Arya could relate to his reaction. That had been the same as her own when she first saw the battle station after seeing what had become of Alderaan. 

_Red leader, this is Gold Leader._

_I copy Gold Leader._

_We're starting for the target shaft now._

_We're in position. I'm going to cut across the axis and try and draw their fire._

Arya saw a group of the X-wings tear away from the rest of the group, moving closer to the Death Stars surface. They were getting ready to start their run. 

_This is Red Five, I'm going in._

Arya watched with her heart in her throat as Luke's X-wing began to dive for the surface of the Death Star. She held her breath, fear gripping her mind at the thought of what could happen to him. 

_Luke pull up!_

Arya nearly jumped at the sound of that voice. 

She knew who that was. 

That was Biggs. 

Arya watched as Luke's X-wing rose up from the death star, still in the battle. 

She was able to breath a sigh of relief. 

_Are you alright?_

_I got a little cooked, but I'm OK._

The battle continued for awhile with mostly silence from the pilots involved. Eventually chatter began to pick back up. They were getting ready for another run. 

_Luke, let me know when you're going in._

_I'm on my way in now._

_Watch yourself! There's a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower._

_I'm on it._

Arya watches as Luke successfully manages another attack run on the Death Stars surface, escaping this time without any burns. She turned her gaze away from the table to find Leia, pacing slightly behind her. Technicians were working hard all around her to aid the pilots in their fight. Arya wanted to be able to hold them to, but there was nothing she could do with the injuries she had sustained while on the Death Star. 

Suddenly, an officer behind her said something that nearly made her heart stop. 

'' Squad leaders, we've picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters coming your way.'' The man said. 

Arya's hands tightened around Luke's light saber, terror filling her mind. 


	9. Chapter 9

New markers appeared on the table displaying the battle going on above them. They were TIE fighters, maneuvering almost seamlessly to attack the X-wings. 

_My scope's negative. I don't see anything._

'' Don't give up.'' Arya whispered. '' Please, don't give up.'' 

_Keep up your visual scanning. With all this jamming, they'll be on top of you before your scope can pick them up._

_Biggs! You've picked one up... watch it!_

_I can't see it! Where is he!?_

_He's on me tight, I can't shake him. I can't shake him!_

_Hang on Biggs, I'm coming in._

Arya watched as the marker indicating Luke's X-wing dove for Biggs's own ship, and the tie that was following it vanished from the screen. She breathed a sigh of relief.

_Got him!_

A minute at most passed as Arya watched officers begin to approach the table, all of them watching the battle unfold. 

They did not have much longer. 

_Watch your back Luke! Fighter's above you, coming in!_

An indicator for a TIE fighter zoomed past Luke's own ship, and Arya heard what sounded like blaster fire hitting something big. She nearly shrieked as she looked on in horror. 

There was silence from the pilots. 

_I'm hit, but it's not bad._

She let the breath she had been holding loose. 

_Red six.... Red six can you see Red Five?_

_There's heavy fire on this side. Red Five, where are you?_

Arya's eyes scanned the table to try and find where Luke's x-wing had disappeared to. She could not spot it no matter how hard she tried. 

Had he gone down somewhere?

Finally, she caught sight of his marker, shooting away from the surface of the Death Star. There was a Tie fighter on his tail. 

_I can't shake him!_

_I'm on him. Hold on!_

_Blast it! Wedge where are you?_

With bated breath, Arya watches as two x-wings swing in to Luke's aid. Within just a few minutes the Tie fighter that was on his tail was gone. 

_Thank's wedge._

_Good shooting Wedge!_

_Red leader..... This is Gold Leader. We're starting our attack run._

_I copy, Gold leader. Move into position._

_The exhaust post is..... Marked and locked in!_

The Y-wings from Gold squadron began their run on the death star. However, Arya's eyes had caught sight of something else that troubled her. There was a group of tie fighters traveling differently from the rest of them. They were traveling in a planned formation, as if they had a mission apart from the rest of the fleet. 

Something was wrong. 

_Switch power to front deflector screens._

_How many guns do you think, gold five?_

_I'd say about twenty guns. Some on the surface, some on the towers._

Arya's eyes continued to follow the squad of tie fighters. They were following the squadron on the surface. 

**The death star will be in range in five minutes.**

A chill ran down Arya's spine at those words. Her life would end in five minuets if they did not manage to stop the empire here and now. 

_Switching to targeting computer._

_Computer's locked. Getting a signal._

_The guns..... They've stopped._

What?

_Stabilize your read deflectors, watch for enemy fighters._

_They're coming in. Three marks at two ten!_

Arya watched in horror as two of the ships in the run were taken down the the group of Tie fighters that was following them. She barely heard what they were saying from that point. 

Before they were able to finish the run, Gold Leader was taken out, along with a good chunk of his squad. 

Arya's heart felt heavy with grief for those who had died. 

Would their deaths all mean nothing in the end. 

_Red Group. This is Red Leader. Rendezvous at mark six point one._

_This is Red Two. Flying toward you._

_Red Three, standing by._

_Red Leader, this is Base one. Keep half your group out of range for the next run._

_Copy Base One. Luke, take Red Two and Three. Hold up here and wait for my signal to start your run._

_This is it! Keep your eyes open for those fighters._

_There's too much interference._

_Red Five, can you see them from where you are?_

_No sign of any.... Wait! Coming in point three five!_

_I see them._

Arya watched as the rest of red squadron continued their run on the death star. 

_I'm in range._

_Target's coming up. Just hold them off for a few seconds._

_We're almost there._

_I can't hold them!_

Another ship vanished from the screen, leaving Arya's heart heavier. 

_It's away._

The heaviness lifted slightly when she realized they had managed to fire at the Death Star. 

_It's a hit!_

_Negative..... Negative, it didn't go in. It just impacted on the surface._

_Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point oh-five. We'll cover for you._

_Stay there! I just lost my starboard engine. Ok, get ready to make your attack run._

_Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in full throttle._

_RIght with you, boss._

There was only a minute left before the Death Star was in firing range of the moon. 

_Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?_

_It'll be just like beggers canyon back home._

Arya cracked a smile at Luke's words. Of course he would find a way to compare this to what he used to do back on Tatooine. 

_We'll stay back far enough to cover you._

_My scope shows the tower, but I can't see the exhaust port. Are you sure the computer can hit it?_

_Increase speed full throttle._

_What about the tower?_

_You worry about those fighters, I'll worry about the tower!... R2, that stabilizer's broken loose again. See if you can't lock it down._

Arya caught sight of something gaining on the group of X-wings. She looked up with horror to find that it was the group of three TIE fighters from before that had taken out Gold Squadron. They were attacking their X-wings. 

_I'm hit, I can't stay with you!_

_Get clear, Wedge. You can't do anymore good back there._

_Sorry._

She watched as Wedges X-wing managed to escape without any trouble. Those Tie fighters were out to stop them from taking the death star out more then taking down the pilots themselves. 

_Hurry Luke. They're coming in much faster this time. I can't hold them!_

_R2, try and increase the power!_

_Hurry up Luke! Wait!_

There is a deafening boom, and the marker for Biggs ship disappears. 

He was dead. They had killed him. 

Arya could have cried. She and Luke both were pretty close with Biggs growing up. 

They were going to pay. 

Luke's X-wing continued to zip through the trench. He was not going to give up, not without a fight. Arya gripped his lightsaber tight in her hands, praying for him with everything she had. 

Then, she thought she heard someone whisper to her. 

_You will not die today little one. The force is with you._

Arya looked around herself in surprise, unable to believe what she had just heard. 

That voice, it had sounded just like old Ben. 

'' His computer's off.'' 

Arya's head spun around to face the officer that said that. 

'' Luke, you switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?'' 

_Nothing. I'm all right._

Somehow, deep down, Arya knew he had heard it to. 

Ben was still with them, even in death. 

There is a heavy silence that falls over them for a short time. Eventually it is ended by a loud shriek from the coms that sounded like R2. 

_I've lost R2_

The droids beeps die out after a few seconds to silence. 

The Death Star was finally in range. 

The Tie fighters had caught up with Luke's X-wing. 

It was all over. 

That is, until another ship flew in from off screen to take out the tie fighters. There was no name to accompany it, just the marker on the screen. 

The tie fighters did not stand a chance, falling faster than ARya thought possible. 

_You're all clear kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home!_

Arya grinned from ear to ear at the sound of his voice. 

Han had come back to save them. 

Arya's eyes once again found Luke's X-wing. She watched with bated breath as he took the shot. 

It was a hit, the missiles making their way to the reactor. 

The room erupted in cheers as Luke's X-wing lifted away from the surface of the Death Star. 

_Great shot kid! That was one in a million!_

They had won the fight. 

\---

Arya could barely contain her smile as she came to a stop beside Luke's X-wing. 

As he began to climb out people cheered. They were all running up to the X-wing, but only she, Leia, and eventually Han managed to get close enough to get to Luke. Leia was the first one to rush forward, embracing Luke as they cheered with glee. Arya managed to stand from the hover chair, hugging Luke as tight as her injuries would allow her to. 

'' I knew you would come back to me.'' She whispered. As she backed away she held out his lightsaber for him to take. '' I kept it safe for you, just like you asked.'' She stated. 

'' Thank you.'' Luke said, barely getting it clipped to his belt before Han tackled him into a hug. 

'' I knew you'd come back, I just knew it.'' Luke stated. 

'' Well, I wasn't gonna let you get all the credit and take all the reward.'' Han stated. 

Leia came up under Han's other arm laughing. 

'' Hey, I knew there was more to you than money.'' Leia stated. 

Eventually they all looked up to the ship to find the technicians lifting the damaged R2 from the ship. Arya was sure that they would be able to fix it. It would not be the same without the droid. 

'' You better get back to the med bay to rest.'' Luke said to Arya. '' I'll be by to tell you all about what it was like up there later.'' He stated. 

'' Promise?'' Arya asked. 

'' Promise.'' Luke assured. 

Arya smiled at him before allowing a nearby medic to push her hover chair back in the direction of the medbay. 

\---

It was two weeks later that a medal ceremony was held for the hero's of the Yavin 4 battle. 

Arya was standing along the far wall beside a now functional R2D2 and C3PO, the three watching as Han, Luke, and Chewbacca were rewarded for what they had done during the battle. She was dressed no different then what they all were wearing, save for Princess Leia who was wearing a dress for the ceremony. She was dressed in simple rebel fatigues.

After receiving his medal Luke glanced back towards where she was standing, a bright smile on his face which Arya returned. 

They may have lost their family back on Tatooine, but they had gained a new family because of where it lead them. This was their new home, and they were not going anywhere. 


End file.
